Smart Social Media Marketing Plan

Social media or simply social (as marketing professionals refer to social media) is something that is not only ‘in’ but also is effective and measurable. The latter one is probably the hardest to achieve but perfectly plausible.

You could say social media is made for content creators as a sharing capability is a key feature of social media. Sharing your content on social channels is one of the most effective ways to get online exposure and build your profile.

1. Facebook

Even though Facebook is the most popular social media platform, and hence it would appear to be the easiest to get a grip of. However, do not be overconfident and don’t rely exclusively on Facebook for your social media marketing. Facebook can work great for some bloggers but can be a huge flop for others.

You need to understand what social media platform your audience uses and engages with the most. If it’s Facebook, then it’s where your efforts should cumulate in. If it’s something else, don’t neglect Facebook but do not prioritise it either. Just get the balance right.

Your Facebook Marketing Checklist

The first impression counts - Make sure your cover and profile images are designed to the specs and easy on the eyes.

Be consistent and regular - Ideally, you should post everyday but if you struggle for content to share, try to be as regular as you can.

When, where and how - Find the optimal time and day to post. Different target groups have different habits.

For example, if you target stay-at-home mums with toddlers, it’s likely the members of this target group will be active when their kids have their daily naps – sometime between 11 am and 2 pm, I would assume. This thesis can be confirmed by measuring the post reach.

So try and test. Conduct a test when you publish posts at different times of the day. Spread your test across one or two weeks to get more compelling reading of the results.

Bond it all together - Publish posts that include either images or links. Posts with visual elements attract more views and have better click-through rates.

Start a conversation - Engagement is crucial for your Facebook page to be successful. Therefore, you should keep an eye on what your fans post on your wall and their comments on things you publish. Try to reply to comments and keep the conversation going.

Find a ‘share buddy‘ or ‘buddies’ ideally - Build relationships with other bloggers/influencers that will be willing to share your content. You can pay them back by sharing theirs.

Use Facebook Insight - In the last year or two, Facebook has made significant improvements on the analytics side of things. Take advantage of that.

Don’t forget the paid ads - C’mon, advertise and try to boost your reach by sponsored news feeds. I am fully aware some money is involved in this process but it’ll benefit both short time and long-time reach on Facebook.

Facebook with its new rules on what content appears on the subscribers’ walls tends to favour pages that use some form of paid advertising on the platform. Hence, when you spend money on sponsored posts, it will increase the visibility and reach of your organic posts too.

2. Twitter

My personal favorite. Why? As it is a perfect medium for marketers, technology geeks and business people.

With its no-nonsense 280-character long tweets (used to be 140-character), Twitter is a platform where communicating your messages clearly is the key to success. Moreover, it is a social hub for all entrepreneurs, technology startup, CEOs, and marketers.

Hence, it’s a great place to express your opinions and get your voice heard. It’s also really handy when it comes to online networking as it’s designed for conversations and debates.

Your Twitter Marketing Checklist

‘Stalk’ trends - Keep your eyes on the chart of trending topics and hashtags. You can jump on this wagon and comment on current ‘hot’ topics. You never know how extensive impact your opinion might have.

Follow influencers – Remember to follow influential personas as they are usually a useful and accurate source of industry information and innovation news. Also, you should pursue some interaction with influencers as they have well-tuned in audience. Try to steal some limelight in the least offensive way though!

Follow back – When people follow you, follow them back. I know Twitter limits a number of profiles you can follow and this number is calculated based on the ration of followers and following users. However, you still can try to follow back Twitteratis that are of interest to you and you could potentially network with.

Discuss, argue and express the critique – Interact with your followers and other Twitter users. Do not just post but re-post, favor and comments on others’ posts. Conversations and social engagements work both ways. Same applies to Twitter.

Forget the TweetLong and like monstrosities – A lot of Twitter users struggle to keep the post under 280 characters. I appreciate you might be tempted to try post longer tweets using some sort of software.

Believe me, it’s not worth it as users tend to get frustrated if they cannot get the meaning from those 280 characters available.

Become a hashtag queen/king – You definitely should get a grasp of what hashtags are really about. You could create a unique hashtag specific to your blog or a current marketing campaign as well as you can ‘hijack’ an already existing hashtag for your campaign.

The later has its ups and downs. Well established hashtags are known to the audience, and hence easier to get a greater exposure through them. However, your post with a popular hashtag can get lost in the noises and great amount of other posts. Be careful how you tackle the hashtag ‘situation’!

3. Google+

Funnily enough Google+ is often referred to as a ‘ghost town’. With 540 million active users it is surprisingly the least engaged with social media platform amongst the important ‘players’.

Now you may want to ask ‘Why bother then?’ The answer couldn’t be simpler – SEO. Google+ is owned by the biggest and most influential search engine on this planet; it’d be silly to ignore it.

Furthermore, Google+ Hangouts – a tool not available on any other platform which is a great way to interact with your audience in real time. Plus, you can collect a valuable feedback on your products/services from people attending your hangouts. It’s much cheaper than a market research and often more accurate.

Your Google+ Marketing Checklist

First impressions - Similarly as for Facebook, the first impression can decide if someone is going to add your page to his circle or not. Ensure your cover image is attractive and up to the spec. Also, do not forget to check your profile picture is displayed correctly.

Don’t skip it - Ensure you have completed your page description with all essential information; e.g. links to your blog and other social media channels.

Keywords – Select keywords relevant to your blog and include them in your page description as well as in the posts.

Stay all business-like - Last but not least, make sure you set up your Google+ account as a business account, not private. Obvious but it easily can be mixed up!

4. Pinterest

All girls’ time-eater. I think many girls can relate to this addiction and are well aware of all those hours spent on scrolling down the page with numerous pictures of ‘cute’ dresses and Jimmy Choo shoes.

Pinterest appears to be made for brands. It’s visual and extremely easy to navigate. Furthermore, the clear categories like Health and Fitness or Women’s Fashion help to identify your audience painlessly and without any hiccups.

Therefore, if you are a fashion or fitness blogger, you should definitely set up an account on Pinterest and start sharing your ‘lovely’ content on there. As a matter of fact, if you are a designer or a keen lover of infographics, Pinterest is your social media paradise.

Your Pinterest Marketing Checklist

The longer the better – Visual elements with greater height specs work better on Pinterest. It’s worth then designing a few longer infographics or other types of graphics. They are more shareable, too.

Pin it, baby - Make sure your add the ‘Pin’ button to all the images on your blog or website so Pinterest lovers can share your images straight from your website.

Link it well - Don’t forget to add a link to each and every post you publish on Pinterest.

Find an ‘inner female’ in you – Around 68% of all Pinterest users are female. You might want to adjust your marketing message to this type of audience.

5. LinkedIn

Personally I think from all significant-size social media platforms, LinkedIn tries the hardest to self-market its free and paid services. With numerous email campaigns sent out to their subscribers and a strong content marketing strategy, LinkedIn could come handy for all B2B bloggers and businesses.

LinkedIn is all business, so try to stay all business on this social media network. Your tone and language should be profession as should your images and graphics. Just be your nice, well-behaved self!

Your LinkedIn Marketing Checklist

Publish & post – Attempt to publish articles and longer posts (circa 600-1000 words) on LinkedIn on a regular basis. Do not try to sound ‘edgy’ – stick to accuracy and factually correct information written in a professional manner.

Network, network and network – Join groups relevant to your interest areas. Comment on other members’ posts and submit your own entries. Be a genuine contributor and keep the debate flowing.

Feedback, please – Use LinkedIn to get an in-depth and personal feedback from your followers. LinkedIn is a hub for professionals and professionals’ feedback can give you invaluable insight into what you do right and what you do wrong.

6. Instagram

Celebrities’ favorite. Fashionists’ beloved. Instagram is all about great filters that make your selfies look gorgeous. Instagram is about showing off. Take advantage of that and showcase your products on there.

With the option to link it to Facebook or Twitter, Instagram is a great social photo editor. Moreover, Instagram fits where other social media might lack – where posting more than 5 updates per day is still a good practice. Instagram can handle a large number of updates per day without damaging your reputation. Go on, post one more!

Your Instagram Marketing Checklist

Stay genuine – A lot of brands and bloggers attempt to cheat the system and post only professional photos. Some Instagram users accept this practice but significant majority is quite adamant photos should be amateur. Take photos using your phone – do not try to overdo it!

Do not over-filter - I know it is too tempting to over-filter and over-crop your images. Don’t go that route as sometimes applying a filter that doesn’t really flatter your image can spoil the whole effect. Often less is more.

Show the inside – Post ‘behind the scene’ pictures. Give your followers an exclusive insight into events you organize or campaigns you run. Or your daily life if you’re ok to share it with your followers.

Tag it well – Make sure all photos uploaded on Instagram have been tagged properly with descriptive and relevant hashtags. Maybe create a unique hashtag for your account that could be included in a description of each photo you publish.

7. YouTube

It’s the second biggest browser in the world (after Google). Yeah, I know – it sounds odd but it’s actually true. Why is YouTube so important for your marketing strategy? Because it is global with a strong appeal to a wide range of age groups, ethnicities, and nations.

Your YouTube Marketing Checklist

Keep it short and sweet – Upload videos that last no longer than 5-10 min.

Catch your screen ‘alive’ - Use screen-recording tools to record your presentation or to showcase some technical skills (e.g. Excel or Photoshop training)

Mingle with other YouTube users – Try to collaborate with other YouTube bloggers in correlated fields and topic areas. Symbiosis works well for both parties, as a rule!

8. Reddit

Reddit is a platform with user-generated news. Think a RSS reader but with a social twist. Users can vote for the news/articles [read: links]. The more votes the post gets, the higher it goes in the rank.

The higher in the rank, the greater exposure the link gets. Keep in mind that Redditors can smell a promotion and spam from miles away, so try to be more genuinely helpful.

I won’t create the Reddit checklist as the most important thing you need to remember is to submit your post links. Easy-peasy!

Social Media Promotion Tips That’ll Work for Every Other Platform

Commitment will benefit at the end – Post on all your social media profiles regularly. Don’t neglect any account and make sure your social media community is managed and looked after on, ideally, a daily basis.

Be genuine – Establish your own style and tone, then stick to it. Be of help to your followers and don’t try to over-smart it. Admit your mistakes when you’ve made them and apologize. We are all humans, even on social media or especially on social media.

Media + audience – Identify which social media platform your core audience uses and concentrate most of your efforts on this specific platform. Learn to prioritize without neglecting the supporting channels.

Try advertising on social media – if you have some spare cash, it’s worth giving advertising on social media a go. It’s cost effective and you can try retargeting to boost conversions.

Final Words

Have your say. What do you think is the best social media channel a blogger or business must utilize in 2019?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section. And don’t forget to share the article with your friends and like-minded people who may find it helpful.

Author Bio:

Brandon Baker is the man behind churning out amazing articles for Optiux Marketing - A new age digital marketing agency. A writer by day and reader by night, he loves to try new methods and share with the world.

Admin is a professional blogger and digital marketer at 99techpost. She writes about Digital Marketing, Technology, WordPress, SEO, Web Design and Development . You can also follow us on facebook & twitter. Feel free to contact us if you have any queries.